Important Notice: We have deployed some new anti-spam measures that have enabled us to once again allow registration with a simple email verification. However, please do not hesitate to report suspected spam threads should they arise.

Spammers take note - your posts, if successful, will not last here. Our community is vigilant in identifying and reporting spam posts for IMMEDIATE removal. Don't waste your time!

I do not know how it is in your state for medical assistant jobs, but here in NH and Ma. I sent my daughter through MA school and there is none to be found. I spent over 7,000.00 of my own money to put her through school and the state ( because she is a single mom ) paid the rest.

No matter who you talk to here, they cannot seem to get a job doing MA. It is very difficult to find after. There is just to many in it. I would suggest ultra sound, or codeing. Codeing you can do from home. Medical codeing that is. Just a few suggestions.

My daughter just took a nanny position for 4 days a week. Getting 300-400 dollars a week. She starts tomorrow. It was close to home and she needed to find something in 2 weeks or the state would not pay for her daycare anymore. I was not to keen on her doing that after all the money my husband and I spent because it does not give her any benefits. Benefits are very important to have as we all know.

Cycler Wrote:AMA Guides allows for a an additional 3% for pain in excess of that expected to be added to any other spine impairment estimate.

Really? Is that in the 6th edition? I know if it took into account pain, then I certainly have that....big time...all of the time. I don't get pain meds since my surgeon doesn't believe in using them. I don't really either, but sometimes I wonder. I have Robaxin, but obviously I can't use that when I am working or driving, etc. They just put me to sleep apart from anything else. If they allow of another 3% then that would be good. However, when I saw that MMI doctor I told them then that my pain levels at that time were anything ranging between 6 - 10...6 on a good day. So I am guessing that she didn't think that was so bad. Even though she noted at the time that my entire back was guarded and the muscles were extremely tight. Maybe she thought that with another 6weeks of physio that would go.

Thank you Sparkey,
I did wonder about that too. Iv'e noted about 4 MA jobs in the last year. They seem very far and few between. I probably wouldn't need too much in the way of classes for that since I already know how to take medical histories, give injections etc. All of that is very basic stuff for me. Still I am stuck with the medical terminology here. I do have a book and maybe I should just practice at home and then see. I looked in to coding. I would still need to take classes for that. But I don't see too many jobs for coding coming up that don't want at least 2 years of experience.

I saw a job today with an abortion clinic for a person to council clients...must be extremely pro choice. But I have done years of peer counciling in the UK, so that might work. I will contact them tomorrow. But again...it is only part time.

Maybe, just maybe, the doctor rated you at a 9% and then added in 3% for the pain????

Reply's are intended solely for informational purposes. They are based on personal opinions, experience, or research and are "not to be taken as fact or legal advice", otherwise, always consult an attorney or a doctor.

I always read that you get 3% for pain and suffering. When I had my IME done, I did not see anywhere where it was written that the 10% they gave me was for pain and suffering included. The labor board just automatically agreed with the IC doctor by my EMG results. I also hear all the time that people get figured in for career loss, how many years of working you have left etc. But do not see when they throw that into your rating. That has always had me stumped when they do not show how they broke down the final rating percentage.

You wil not see anymention of pain and sufffering in an IME of Impairment report for some technical reasons. I have no idea about 6th edition but have access to a 5th ed text and the various spine tables for Diagnoses based estimates give a 3 point range of values. The instructions state that pain is accounted for in ALL impairment vlaues throught out the text but that an additional 3 % may be recommended by the evaluator if the pain is a major factor in the impairment or something to that effect. So the evaluator simply gives the higher value - no specific mention of pain needed and suffering is a disability, not an impairment, so not considered either.

The doctor who did my rating just put it in at the standard 12%, which is just the basic rating for the injury and surgery done to the spinal cord area that I had. She showed me that part so I know that it isn't rated with the pain. It was my surgeon who told me that my level of disability is greater because of the pain and loss of function from the actual dural opening. It was not a tear...it was found open when they opened me up for surgery. He thought it must have torn when the disk impinged on the nerve there.

So the pain is discussed in a seperate chapter in the 5th edition? Then I need to somehow find a 6th and find out if there is a section that discusses extra ratings for pain. The doctor I had does this sort of thing all of the time....but she seemed to just concentrate on that one section that she showed me. Perhaps she didn't read any further. Having said that though....I have read somewhere that the new edition does not take into account any extra pain and ROM has been left out as well. I also read that they do these things so that extra points can not put you into another catagory....which this apparently would. Who knows though. It is a mystery.

As far a jobs go. I am 54 now. And I have no ss in this country...none at all. And no health insurance. Nothing. All of that was with my husband, who left after a year that we got here. I was only married to him for a year. If I concentrate on getting up there with the nursing thing....I could work until I dropped....which I will have to anyhow, since I am pretty much living off of my British pension as is.....That was supposed to help with my retirement....no such luck on that now.